I've seen Jon Wayne and the Pain many times over the past 5 years and their shows progressively get better and the band keeps getting tighter musically. They fuse together the perfect blend of reggae with fun electronic dance beats that has quickly made them my favorite band. I'm excited to see what the future holds for them!

Part of the problem with most discussions of appropriation is there is little acknowledgement of cultural assimilation yet almost always 100% concentration on appropriation. In some cases what is being called appropriation is indeed NOT "appropriation" but it's "assimilation".

There are many modern artists I could highlight my name, but will go back to the 1950s and use a better example..
Pat Boone - A well-fed, middle class, white guy that never knew hard times, poverty, and no real exposure to black music, yet started covering black artist songs...

THAT'S APPROPRIATION.
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Then on the other hand there's Elvis - he knew not only poverty but *extreme* poverty, humble beginnings surrounded by honest exposure to not only hillbilly music but blues and white and black gospel music, going all the way back to his early childhood. As James Brown, Little Richard and BB King all pointed out in interviews over the years "Elvis came by way of that music just as authentically as we did".
Plus he always gave credit to black artists for their influence the same as he gave credit to the white country and pop artists he also admired.
R&B Queen Ruth Brown.. "Elvis did everything the right way, gave respect in his interviews and was a legitimate white artist doing the blues and R&B. He was helping us break down racial barriers"

Little Richard - "Elvis was real. And I thank God for Elvis Presley. He was an integrator"

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You see,
Huge difference between the two artists (Pat Boone and Elvis) and it's important people understand the difference, as well as respect the words of our great black legends from the past when having these conversations.

Naming Elvis in these conversations all the time has become almost sport, even though it's inaccurate sloppy history to put him in the same conversation with other appropriators. Yet many modern bloggers and writers do so as if they think they're dropping some knowledge.

All this does is ruins the writers credibility.

Even Chuck D from Public Enemy has long repudiated his anti-Elvis stance that "Elvis was just another cultural thief" to now having "great respect for Elvis" after years ago he started listening to greats like BB King, James Brown, Little Richard, Bobby Blue Bland, Ike Turner... and other greats that knew Elvis personally and they lived that era.

We modern folks living in the new millennium DON'T know more abouy Elvis than the greats from that original era and we need to just accept that and get over our arrogance of trying to pretend we do, by incorrectly labeling Elvis.

If you want to write something that has some punch and is a little unique, be like the writer of the article link below... or members of the R&B community the last few years who have started praising Elvis with newfound respect after researching him better.

There were many appropriators, but Elvis wasn't the one. Many people in modern times have done the research and have admitted they were wrong about Elvis. I submit the bottom link for your reading. I'm most sure it will be an eye opener as it is to many people, and rest assured while you're reading and have an Internet connection you can start to research any of the info given and will find it all checks out.

Appropriation is an important conversation to have, granted, but if we started indicting the wrong people for crimes of appropriation that they're not guilty of, then can't be taken serious with the rest of the conversation.

I mean, is there anyone that really would argue with BB King or James Brown, about whether or not Elvis was an appropriator, if they could go back in time and talk with those guys?
Please. We all know the answer to that.

Even Beyonce and also hiphop artist 50 Cent in recent years have had Elvis' back and tried to school people that disrespected Elvis memory as anything but legitimate.

This article below discusses not only the ongoing belief by many in the modern era that Elvis was some sort of racist, but pertinent to the discussion of "appropriation" it also addresses many conversations from soul, R&B and blues artists that have defended Elvis against claims of appropriation.

for being a supposed Full Time employee of the Air Force, Mr. Truesdell sure does have a lot of time to promote himself and his multitude of projects. His relentless self promotion seems to be finally paying off, but at what cost to his reputation, and at what price to those who pay his salary?

I don't have a band (shitty or otherwise), Nathan, but I do have good ears, and I expect people who cover jazz to have decent ears, too. Truesdell has a bad sense of time, and his solos are studies in mediocrity, never journeying anywhere other than well-trodden melodic and harmonic paths. I'd love to see the four critics of Downbeat's Hot Box feature share their thoughts on Truesdell's CD--but it's not so easy to buy your way into an authentic Downbeat review. If the Springs wants to improve its arts and culture scene, it needs to move beyond rewarding the artist who brags the loudest and develop some critical taste. Criticism is healthy for art; boosterism is not.

Ellen, you are such a tool. If you don't like Truesdell, don't listen! And if your shitty band isn't getting any press, try approaching writers with a news item (like, duh, getting featured in a national music magazine like Downbeat) or a story idea rather than bad-mouthing them with baseless smears. I've been following the Reverb column for a while, and as far as I can tell, it seems to be more inclusive than ever.

As most people in the music business know, anyone who buys enough advertising in Downbeat can get coverage in the magazine. This impressionable article proves that in Colorado Springs, it is indeed "All About The Hustle." With truly talented and accomplished local artists going ignored, the celebration of the self-promoting Truesdell will unfortunately confirm outsiders' darkest beliefs: "Well," they'll say, "He's not exactly an outstanding player, but I guess he's the best Colorado Springs has to offer!"

I was just thinking about how nice a radio station like this would be. I drive a good bit for work and, despite disagreeing with the politics, I listen to a lot of right-wing talk shows. There are a ton- Mike Savage, Rush, Joe Skaggs, Mark Levine, Hannity, Glenn Beck- it's awful!!!

Good news glad to hear it! I'd think, seeing as the scope is limited to our area- a weekly show be dedicated to the politics of the PPR- featuring council members, the mayor, former leaders, etc.

I'm one of the co-hosts of the Switchbacks-focussed show that you mentioned (Back Chat Show); so first of all, thanks for the shout out!

The KCMJ switch flip to FM will form a community party that is being held at the Stargazers theatre tomorrow evening (Friday 29th) starting at 6:30pm. All are welcome to this free event, where they'll be live music, food, drink and, of course, the flipping of the big switch! I encourage folks that are interested (and have a Facebook account) to check out the invite and RSVP riiiiight here! > https://www.facebook.com/events/1675767796…

Well... Stargazers isn't really a geodesic dome. Also, the 100 Watts refers to the peak envelope power of the radio transmission (system output), not the actual power draw on the AC outlet (system input) which will be a good bit more than 100 Watts. With 100 Watts of output power, I talk to places in Europe.